{"id":1303525,"date":"2018-06-22T10:51:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T00:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=1303525"},"modified":"2018-06-22T10:51:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-22T00:51:59","slug":"on-many-sundays-june-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/on-many-sundays-june-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"ON MANY SUNDAYS \u2013 JUNE 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK EDARDS \/ HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC<\/p>\n

On many Sundays all over the world, people go motorcycle riding. It\u2019s replaced church, and rightly so.
\nGroups of mates often ride wildly disparate motorcycles in wildly different ways, but they still ride together and remain mates because only mates can laugh at mates and get away with it.
\nThey all have hugely differing views about what constitutes a \u201cgood\u201d bike, and often that\u2019s grounded in what they\u2019ve owned before, what they\u2019re riding now, and what they\u2019d like to ride in the future.
\nThese are the people whose views about bikes I am interested in. Real people with real-world skills, whose views are probably more valid than mine, and certainly more valid than the so-called professional motorcycle \u201cjournos\u201d who will fellate farm animals if there\u2019s an advertising dollar in it. I have long stopped paying attention to what these motorcycle \u201cjournos\u201d (with a very few notable exceptions) think about anything at all. No-one I know even buys bike mags anymore.
\nI also don\u2019t much care what racers think about bikes and never have. Magazines use racers to review bikes because they think the racer\u2019s name will result in more magazine sales. I must remember to ask them how that’s working out for them.
\nRacer\u2019s race bikes. Very few ride bikes on the road and all of them are possessed of skills denied to mortals. How can their take on a road bike be of any value to anyone shopping for a road bike? After all, what a bike does in the hands of Valentino Rossi is certainly not what it will do in yours.
\nWith all that in mind, you\u2019ll appreciate this is a bike review unlike any other bike review you\u2019ll have ever read.<\/p>\n

I plan to do a heap more of them, much like this, but with sometimes different players. Should be a hell of a ride.<\/p>\n

\"\"

From Left to Right: T120 Bonny, Suzuki SV650X, BMW K1600GT, Kel, me, Ed, Bly, Kawasaki Z900RS, Milenko, MV Agusta Brutale 800, pole.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Who came apart from me? Kel, Milenko, Bly and Ed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What was being ridden? BMW K1600GT, MV Agusta 800 Brutale, Kawasaki Z900RS, Suzuki SV 650X and a Triumph T120 Bonneville.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where did we go? Up the Putty a bit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Kel: “The farmer told us to piss off from here.” “Me: “Did you tell him we’re professionals doing important work?” Kel: “Yeah…something like that…sure…”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

The line starts over there, ladies. Don’t be shy.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Kel: “I’m going to struggle pulling that out from under the Armco, you know.” Me: “I will keep that in mind.”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Choices, choices, choices…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

This concept actually began because I needed a favour. I had five bikes that needed to be photographed by Nick Edards, and I was still, after all this time, only able to ride one at a time.
\nSo I called people and they came.
\nWhy wouldn\u2019t they? Riding motorcycles is what my friends do.
\nAnd then, even before I asked, they were offering opinions on the bikes and debating among themselves which they would ride first and next.
\nElitist, brand-conscious pigs, the lot of them, I decided, as they left me with the SV650X.
\nThe Putty was damp and greasy, but we could all see that. And these were men of vast experience and shallow pockets. None of them wanted to own what they were riding.
\nI had also explained to them that should the unthinkable happen, it should a) happen after the photos were taken, and b) it had best end in a fatality. Which would then save me the effort of making it so.
\nThis is how we went\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

KEL<\/strong>
\nDemeanour:<\/strong> Cynical, leathery and cruel.
\nAge:<\/strong> About 280
\nNormally rides:<\/strong> A Shovelhead he\u2019s rebuilt from scratch, which is just one of many bikes Kel has built, including an MV Brutale, a Kwaka 1300, a Panhead, and a Sportster.
\nQuote of the ride:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m never going to get Botox, I\u2019m just going to wait for the stroke.\u201d
\nBMW K1600GT:<\/strong> \u201cNo. It\u2019s too big. Get away from me.\u201d
\nKawasaki Z900RS:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s just great\u2026seriously great.\u201d
\nSuzuki SV650X:<\/strong> \u201cYeah, nah\u2026it\u2019s hurting me.\u201d
\nMV Agusta Brutale 800:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s terrifying. And uncomfortable. And terrifying.\u201d
\nTriumph T120 Bonneville:<\/strong> \u201cIt reminds me of my old 68 Bonneville and it\u2019s nothing like it at all, and thank Christ it\u2019s not. Love it. Just gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n

HIS PREFERENCE: The Kawasaki. \u201cIt\u2019s sensational. I didn\u2019t think it would be, and I was all about the Bonneville until I rode the Zed.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MILENKO<\/strong>
\n Demeanour:<\/strong> Friendly, affable and Serbian.
\nAge:<\/strong> I\u2019m thinking early 50s.
\nNormally rides:<\/strong> The neatest and sweetest Suzuki Bandit I have ever seen.
\nQuote of the ride:<\/strong> \u201cMy back hurts. I have to ride the BMW. All the time.\u201d
\nBMW K1600GT:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s got everything. Everything. Everything. I love it. I love everything about it.\u201d
\nKawasaki Z900RS:<\/strong> \u201cI would like to ride this, but my back hurts.\u201d
\nSuzuki SV650X:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s going to hurt my back. I will stay on the BMW.\u201d
\nMV Agusta Brutale 800:<\/strong> \u201cIt will not be like the BMW at all, will it?\u201d
\nTriumph T120 Bonneville: \u201cMy back says no. It only says yes to the BMW.\u201d<\/p>\n

HIS PREFERENCE: The BMW 1600GT. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing motorcycle. I cannot believe how good it is.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

ED<\/strong>
\n Demeanour:<\/strong> Intense, committed and Italian.
\nAge:<\/strong> I\u2019ll guess it\u2019s somewhere nearer to 60 than 50.
\nNormally rides:<\/strong> A BMW K1300.
\nQuote of the ride:<\/strong> \u201cI don\u2019t want to ride the BMW here. I want to go and ride one from a dealership. Then I want to have discussions with the dealer.\u201d
\nBMW K1600GT:<\/strong> \u201cHe\u2019s not getting off it, is he? No, he\u2019s not.\u201d
\nKawasaki Z900RS:<\/strong> \u201cWhat a great bike. I love how it looks and I\u2019m amazed at how it goes. It\u2019s the best bike I\u2019ve ridden today.\u201d
\nSuzuki SV650X<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m too old for this.\u201d
\nMV Agusta Brutale 800:<\/strong> \u201cYeah, it\u2019s not for me. It\u2019s too\u2026um, not for me\u2026\u201d
\nTriumph T120 Bonneville:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect commuter, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s so easy to ride and so well behaved.\u201d<\/p>\n

HIS PREFERENCE: The Kawasaki. No doubts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BLY<\/strong>
\n Demeanour:<\/strong> Owns, builds and rides Ducatis.
\nAge:<\/strong> Bly\u2019s 3000 years old. No question.
\nNormally rides:<\/strong> A Ducati Streetfighter and a Ducati Frankenstrada he built in his kitchen.
\nQuote of the ride:<\/strong> \u201cI wanted to hate it. I really did. But I can\u2019t.\u201d
\nBMW K1600GT:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s a car.\u201d
\nKawasaki Z900RS:<\/strong> \u201cI really didn\u2019t want to like it. But it\u2019s just great. Smooth, agile \u2013 yeah, a good thing.\u201d
\nSuzuki SV650X:<\/strong> \u201cIt feels a bit gutless, I reckon. Oh, it\u2019s a 650? That\u2019s why then\u2026\u201d
\nMV Agusta Brutale 800:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s angry at everything, isn\u2019t it? If I was 20 again\u2026\u201d
\nTriumph T120 Bonneville:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, but I don\u2019t like the fly-by-wire throttle. It feels like it wants to keep going after I\u2019ve told it not to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

HIS PREFERENCE: The Kawasaki, despite his initial misgivings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MY CONCLUSION<\/strong>
\nOf course this is not a bike comparo. One compares like to like. The Brutale is not like the BMW. Hell, the Brutale is not like anything else except another Brutale.<\/em><\/strong>
\n Here are my brief impressions, all of which will be followed up with a proper review\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BMW K1600GT:<\/strong> This is the world\u2019s best touring bike. I prefer the Bagger iteration because I can vary the ergos, but other than that, the K1600GT stands head and shoulders above every other touring bike on the market. Nothing this size rides sweeter, handles sharper, or bangs harder. The level of electronics and luxury bits is wonderful. Supreme big-mile comfort that can put the fear of Deutschland into far sportier bikes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kawasaki Z900RS:<\/strong> A standing ovation from me. It was not what I expected it to be. At all. A wonderful, poised and surprisingly torque-filled in-line four. Feather-light clutch, comfy ergos, and looks to die for. It\u2019s smooth, handles brilliantly, and is as refined as motorcycle must be in 2018. Kawasaki certainly took no shortcuts making its retro bones here. We quickly worked out the awkward decal on the fairing can be removed with a hair dryer, which I would do, then I would bask in total Seventies pop-green fizziness. This bike deserves every accolade it\u2019s going to get. Bravo, Kawasaki.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Suzuki SV650X:<\/strong> This is the best-looking SV Suzuki has ever made. It\u2019s just gorgeous. The whole package reminded me of a Ducati Panatah, but without the chocolate crank, the rubbish electrics, the evil riding position, and the legendary non-reliability. This is a Suzuki. It\u2019s made to last. A light, agile twin hewn from simplicity itself, and a real hoot to lash into bends. It\u2019s a bike that will teach you about carrying corner speed if you want to keep up with your mates on the sportsbikes. Pure fun at a crazy good price.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MV Agusta Brutale 800:<\/strong> Still the angriest motorcycle on earth, and one of the most beautiful. Each year MVs get a little more refined and a little more user-friendly, but at their essence they will always be a no-compromise Italian missile. They are not for everybody, and they\u2019re rather proud of that. They are hugely rewarding to ride, provided you\u2019re not expecting a bike that will cosset you, stroke your fur, and pander to your shitness at riding. Bring your A game, pay attention, set your jaw with intent, and ride the MV properly, as the Road Gods intended it to be ridden. Then and only then will you be amazed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Triumph T120 Bonneville:<\/strong> This is my favourite Bonneville. I prefer this to the Bobber variants, and just quietly, I prefer it to the Thruxton. It reminds me of my old 1979 Tiger, but as Kel (who is also an old Triumph rider) observed, it\u2019s nothing like that old stuff, and that\u2019s great. I\u2019m ever so pleased it\u2019s not like that old stuff. Seriously pretty and beautifully finished, the Bonneville makes me smile to look at it, and it can get along quite well if you put your mind to it and apply yourself. It\u2019s just like the old Bonnys in that regard. They could get along too \u2013 you just had to, as I said, apply yourself. But as a gentle, able and benign all-rounder, it really works a treat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK EDARDS \/ HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC On many Sundays all over the world, people go motorcycle riding. It\u2019s replaced church, and rightly so. Groups of mates often ride wildly disparate motorcycles in wildly different ways, but they still ride together and remain mates because only mates can laugh at mates and get away [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1303662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1303525"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1303525"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1303525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1304054,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1303525\/revisions\/1304054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1303662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1303525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1303525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1303525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}